Chairman Butts backing Windies girls to deliver in South Africa

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St John's Antigua: Chairman of West Indies Selectors Clyde Butts has thrown his full support behind the West Indies women's team selected to play in the International Cricket Council’s Women's Challenge in Potchefstroom, South Africa in October.

The squad was unveiled on Thursday with Merissa Aguilleira, the inspirational captain at the helm. The 24-year-old wicket-keeper has recovered after having knee surgery earlier this year, which forced her to miss the WICB’s Women’s League in St Vincent last month. Her deputy is Anisa Mohammed, the world-rated off-spinner and lower-order batter, who led Trinidad and Tobago to the League title in Aguilleira’s absence.

“We have picked a very good team for the upcoming tournament and I expect them to do very well. We have the nucleus of the team which has been playing together for the last couple of years ... most of the players who have done well at the international level. There is a good balance is squad and we have a lot of allrounders,” said Butts, the former Guyana and West Indies off-spinner.

“The players are growing in experience and this series is being seen as part of the ultimate build-up to the next ICC Women’s World Cup. It is a young team, with a number of players in their teens and early 20s, and we are looking to build with the future in mind. Even though it is a young team, the players are quite experienced at the international level and this trip will be a chance to gain more experience in foreign conditions. We have played in South Africa before so the girls should be familiar with the conditions and know how to adapt when they get there.”

There are two newcomers in the squad. These are seam bowling allrounders Subrina Munroe of Guyana and Pearl Etienne of Dominica, who stood out with their pace and accuracy on the flat pitches in St Vincent. The selectors have chosen to leave out veteran allrounder Pamela Lavine, who has played 24 One-Day Internationals and 15 T20 Internationals since her debut in 2005.

“We have two newcomers to the squad – Subrina Munroe and Pearl Etienne. The two new players are both very good seam bowlers and they performed very well in the recent WICB Women’s Tournament in St Vincent. Both can also bat and they can be expected to make good contributions in the lower order. They have been knocking at the door for sometime and have managed to work their way into the team.”

On Lavine’s omission Butts added: “We have not included Pam Lavine in the squad for this tour. She is still a good batter, and she has done well for Barbados and West Indies in the past. Her general fitness worked against her on this occasion and for this tour we decided to look at some other options. Not making the team for this tour does not mean she has been discarded nor has she been retired. She is still part of the overall plans in West Indies Women’s cricket.”

One-Day International ChampionshipWednesday, October 6: vs Netherlands at Witrand Cricket FieldThursday, October 7: vs Ireland at North West University Ground 2Saturday, October 9: vs Sri Lanka at North West University Ground 1Sunday, October 10: vs South Africa at North West University Ground 1Tuesday, October 12: vs Pakistan at Senwes ParkT20 International ChallengeThursday, October 14: vs South Africa at North West University Ground 1Saturday, October 16: vs Netherlands at North West University Ground 1